Where did I learn this song? Was it born into me? I never remember not knowing it.
Apples mellow,
pumpkins yellow,
Tell the time of year.
Nuts are falling, nature’s calling.
Autumn time is here.
The yellow pumpkins always bothered me a bit, but since the rhyme’s the thing I didn’t question.
Recently I learned that the name for that bright blend of red and yellow—orange—is fairly recent in the history of the world. It used to be called red, or possibly yellow. Which is why you have a robin redbreast whose lower regions are actually orange, in our modern etymology.
So maybe my “pumpkins yellow” song is old, old old. Maybe it came down through generations. I sang it to my boys and now I’m teaching it to my grandsons because I LOVE AUTUMN!
It is 90 degrees here on the first day of fall, a temperature no self-respecting Midwest autumn should tolerate. However, the heat and humidity will be kicked to the curb sometime next week and we can pull on cozy sweaters and simmer pots of chili and take long, mosquito-free walks and kick up our heels in the leaves. Happy autumn, my friends!
The Tuesday Prude (aka Anita Klumpers) 
Thank you for sharing, I have never heard the song. I am hanging on to summer for a bit longer. Thankfully Jon didn’t take the pool down and I was able to take the kiddies in on Wednesday and it was wonderful. Thankful to be sweating up a storm for a few days longer!
Our pool is still up too! You must be one of those happy summer-types of people. I’m the cranky autumn-style
I looked this up, and can’t find the tune anywhere, though the words come up. So Anita, I need you to teach it to me!!!!!!!
I will do that. And remember when you are wincing, that you asked for it!
Can you (or anyone) send me a page scan from one of the several children’s hymnals/songbooks that it appeared in between 1905 and 1964?
Ah, mosquito free walks, yes! We don’t get much in the way of changing leaves here, but autumn is my favorite season nonetheless, in part, because the mosquitoes disappear. 😁 (That’s interesting about the lack of orange in bygone days. I always wondered about the robin redbreast!)
2nd verse is:
Colors gaily, changing daily
Brighten field and wood.
Nature’s glory, tells the story,
God is great and good.
This is lovely! Thank you for sharing it. I never knew there was a second verse!
I know this song. I learned in kindergarten
The song is called “Autumn” by Helen M. Browne.
I too sang it as a child and we sang it from the book called “Let Youth Praise Him” published by Eerdmans Publishing Company Copyright 1949, 1967 (published jointly with The National Union of Christian School)
well that makes sense, since I attended small Christian schools through 9th grade. Thank you!